Reference Books

The Official SAT Study Guide

The College Board

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 113 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good, solid study guide 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book for my daughter. It is easy to navigate, well laid-out, and fairly clear and precise in its presentation.

No explanations!?? 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book comes in handy because it has great tips and sources coming right from the creator of the SAT's and also tells you what to expect on test day. The only problem is that it gives no explanations for the answers.There are explanations on the sample questions only, but there are none on the practice tests(there are eight practice tests). It is so frustrating, especially in the math section, don't just tell me the answer is "B", explain to me WHY it is "B" and HOW to solve the problem. If you want an effective and easy to understand study guide, I recommend "11 Practice tests for the SAT's and PSAT's" by the princeton review. That one actually explains the answers for every single question(both math and English) in the book. You can buy the college board's if you want great tips but don't rely on it for your practice tests because its not going to help.

Editorial Review:

The Official SAT Study Guide is the only book that features official SAT practice tests created by the test maker.  It's packed with the information students need to get ready for the exam.  They’ll gain valuable experience by taking eight practice tests and receiving estimated scores.  With 900 pages and 21 chapters, the book helps students raise their confidence by reviewing concepts, test-taking approaches, and focused sets of practice questions.

The Elements of Style, Third Edition

William Strunk Jr., E. B. White

List Price: $13.00 By: Allyn & Bacon Amazon Marketplace: 61 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 369 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Reference 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE is a great little pocket reference for all writers (creative, essay, or nonfiction).

What is most amazing is how it consolidates a wealth of information into accessible, bite-size chapters that are easy to search on and then easy to comprehend.

The sections that I have found the most helpful are:
1) Verb Subject Agreement for the exceptions, "one of" and "each and every".
2) Why using the Active Voice is better through exhibition and not b/c it's the general rule.
3) Putting statements into positive form (something I had not considered).
4) And the entire section on "Approach to Style".

I think that for the price, you can not go wrong with this one. I have GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT by Stilman and SOLUTIONS FOR WRITERS by Stein, both of which I recommend, but if you had to choose the order in which to buy: ELEMENTS OF STYLE, SOLUTIONS FOR WRITERS (as it's not just about writing but the craft of story telling), and then GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT.

Editorial Review:

A book that will help any writer become a better writer.

The Real ACT Prep Guide: The Only Official Prep Guide From The Makers Of The ACT (Real Act Prep Guide)

ACT Inc.

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Subjects -> Reference -> Test Prep Central -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great practice tests, -1 star for lack of review material 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is the best book for ACT practice tests. for starters this book actually contains 3 "retired" Act tests from the past. For EVERY question it has: The right answer + explanation, and the wrong answers + explanation on why they are wrong.

for those of you looking for more review material i suggest Kaplan ACT 2008 Comprehensive Program (Kaplan Act) or Kaplan ACT 2008 Premier Program (w/ CD-ROM) (Kaplan Act (Book & CD-Rom)) . Not only does it have a ton of review, it has practice tests that are very similar to this book(which means they are also very similar to the real thing)

btw with the help of this book + kaplan i got a 28 composite score on the June ACT (93 percentile)

It helped me - maybe you too 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I think that this book did a pretty good job helping me prepare for this test. The practice tests are the best part. The rest is okay, but the practice tests seemed pretty similar to the actual test. By using this book, I made a 33 composite on the ACT.

If you would like some pointers or interesting ways to remember hints, try The ACT For Dummies in addition to this book, but not alone!

Editorial Review:

The Real ACT Prep Guide is the only book with insider test-taking tips and strategy, practice, and insight from the makers of the ACT.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Test

List Price: $23.00 By: Pantheon Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $3.65

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Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Arts & Literature -> Authors
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Authors, A-Z -> ( L ) -> Lamott, Anne
Subjects -> Reference -> Foreign Languages -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 307 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. [It] was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said. 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'"

With this basic instruction always in mind, Anne Lamott returns to offer us a new gift: a step-by-step guide on how to write and on how to manage the writer's life. From "Getting Started,' with "Short Assignments," through "Shitty First Drafts," "Character," "Plot," "Dialogue." all the way from "False Starts" to "How Do You Know When You're Done?" Lamott encourages, instructs, and inspires. She discusses "Writers Block," "Writing Groups," and "Publication." Bracingly honest, she is also one of the funniest people alive.

If you have ever wondered what it takes to be a writer, what it means to be a writer, what the contents of your school lunches said about what your parents were really like, this books for you. From faith, love, and grace to pain, jealousy, and fear, Lamott insists that you keep your eves open, and then shows you how to survive. And always, from the life of the artist she turns to the art of life.

"An inspiring book about writing as a way of finding the truth

-- San Francisco Chronicle

"Surpasses all the other books on writing already out there -- even the wonderful stuff by Natalie Goldberg, John Gardner, and Annie Dillard."

-- Seattle Times

"Well-written, funny, and useful." -- Denver Post

"I ended up reading it twice and expect to dip into it again in times of need. I recommend this book to other writers without reservation....This woman is uncanny."

-- Marie Winn, Wall Street Journal

"A quirky, personal, mordant, down-to-earth guide to fiction writing by a wonderful novelist essayist. Lamott makes writing seem like something you could actually enjoy."

-- The Nation

Cracking the SAT, 2009 Edition (College Test Prep)

Princeton Review

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Princeton Review Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $8.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Super Helpful and actually fun too! 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This 2009 SAT book that i bought about a month ago, has been exteremely helpful! I'm a freshman high school, but wanted a head start on studying for the SAT, thus my parents purchased this latest edition SAT book. I honestly thought it would be boring, but the makers of the book make it very fun! They explain everything with easy step-by-step instructions without the use of big words, and they have coordinating pictures. The pages are perfect for you to write on them. Overall, you won't find this latest SAT book that is out for this low of a price. I wuold suggest buying ASAP because it's going to really give you a big start on your future.

Editorial Review:

Cracking the SAT brings you proven techniques from the test prep experts! The 2009 edition includes full-length practices tests and exclusive free access to further review online. In Cracking the SAT, we’ll teach you how to think like the test writers and

· Master specific strategies for answering every question type
· Boost your vocabulary with our exclusive “Hit Parade”— a list of words that appear most frequently on the SAT
· Practice online with an additional full-length test, lessons, and drills
· Get the most out of your prep time with the study plan that’s right for you

We give you plenty of practice problems to help you master our proven techniques. In addition, this book contains 3 full-length, “paper and pencil” SAT practice tests. Our practice questions are just like those you’ll see on the real SAT—but with detailed answers and explanations for every question.

Barron's SAT 2400: Aiming for the Perfect Score (Barron's Sat 2400)

Linda Carnevale M.A., Roselyn Teukolsky M.S.

Amazon Price: $12.91 List Price: $18.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Barron's Educational Series Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $11.76

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Poor examples and ridiculous mnemonics. 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book is riddled with mistakes in its practice sections (notably the writing section) and contains superfluous mnemonics as a "strategy." Incessant use of "2400 clubbers" doesn't help. I'd recommend skimming Rocket Review for writing and reading, Gruber's for math, and a solid practice from Collegeboard's "Blue Book" of released tests as practice.

Editorial Review:

Even the brightest and most hard-working students aren’t expected to score a perfect 2400 on their SAT college entrance tests, but students who approach perfection with scores of 2100 or higher are virtually guaranteed acceptance at the country’s most prestigious colleges. The new edition of this popular guide for high-achieving college-bound students bypasses the standard test preparation drills and offers novel advice and innovative strategies for tackling the SAT’s hardest questions. The book presents Critical Reading strategies for both long and short passages, concentrated help for writing a near-perfect SAT essay, and extra coaching in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, statistics, and math word problems. Students will also find difficult practice questions with explained answers in all SAT test areas, upper-level vocabulary lists, and useful math formulas.

Fiske Guide to Colleges 2009 (Fiske Guide to Colleges)

Edward B Fiske

Amazon Price: $15.61 List Price: $22.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sourcebooks, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 49 new & used starting at $13.99

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Subjects -> Reference -> Catalogs & Directories -> Directories

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

For more than 20 years, this leading guide to more than 300 colleges and universities has been an indispensable source of information for college-bound students and their parents. Hip, honest and straightforward, the Fiske Guide to Colleges delivers an insider's look at the academic climates and the social and extracurricular scenes at the "best and most interesting" schools in the U.S., plus Canada and Great Britain.

The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2009 is a tool to help you make the most intelligent educational investment you can. With The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2009, you'll get:

• The #1 Bestselling College Guide
• The guide that is most trusted by guidance counselors, students, and parents
• A book packed with tips from current students about the ins and outs of their schools Fiske's exclusive academic, social, and quality-of-life ratings for each school

"I happen to prefer the Fiske Guide for its combination of compressive facts and figures and personal anecdotes and descriptions of each campus. They may take a bit longer to read than a quick reference guide, but each entry leaves you with an indelible impression of the academic and social life at the college in question."

- Excerpt from The Truth About Getting In, by Katherine Cohen, founder of IvyWise

The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2009 also includes:

• Fiske's exclusive academic, social and quality-of-life ratings
• The 40+ schools that deliver the best education at the most reasonable costs
• Lists of each school's strongest majors and programs
• Candid tips from each school's current students
• A self-quiz to help understand which college is right for a student
• Vital information on how to apply
• "Overlap" listings to help students expand their options
• Selectivity statistics and SAT and ACT ranges

(20080908)

CrunchTime: Contracts (Crunch Time)

Emanuel

Amazon Price: $25.15 List Price: $27.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Aspen Publishers, Incorporated Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $23.00

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Subjects -> Law -> Business -> Contracts
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Subjects -> Law -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Worked for my Contracts class 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book spoke of a lot of the same cases that my professor talked about and made them understandable. Definitely recommended if the material is the same.

Very Helfpul! Highly Recommended. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This study aid has been incredibly helpful. It is great to refer to it after reading a case in your casebook. It has a lot of helpful tips in writing exams as well. I would definitely recommend Emanuel Contracts to anyone taking Contracts!

Great last minute help and helpful throughout the term 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I just had my first term exams and they went much smoother with the help of the crunchtime series. I will be using them for every class that I have that they are offered. The flow charts was the only section that did not work for me as that is not the thinking pattern that assists me. But some of the other students who I studied with used them and liked them it depends on how you organize, the capsule was what I used. Great product and helpful in the first year of confusion called law school.

Editorial Review:

CrunchTime provides a comprehensive topic breakdown and critical information review all in one tool! The application flow charts can be used all semester long, but the capsule summaries are ideal for exam preparation. Each title offers capsule summaries of major points of law and critical issues, exam tips for identifying common traps and pitfalls, sample exam and essay questions with model answers, and recommended approaches for crafting essays that will get winning grades!

Math Review For Standardized Tests (Cliffs Test Prep)

Jerry, Ph.D. Bobrow

Amazon Price: $8.79 List Price: $10.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Cliffs Notes Amazon Marketplace: 86 new & used starting at $3.77

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Subjects -> Reference -> Education -> Test Guides - College & University -> College Entrance

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The CliffsTestPrep series offers full-length practice exams that simulate the real tests; proven test-taking strategies to increase your chances at doing well; and thorough review exercises to help fill in any knowledge gaps.

Math Review for Standardized Tests is for anyone who is planning to take the *SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, *PSAT, CBEST, NTE, or any other standardized test. You get a fighting chance at success by focusing squarely on a test-oriented math review. Each review section includes:

• A diagnostic test to spot areas that need special attention
• Rules and concepts with examples
• Practice problems
• Complete (and understandable) explanations
• A review test

If your math skills are shaky, this guide will refresh your memory by reintroducing mathematical rules and concepts you've learned but since forgotten. Glossaries assist your understanding of math terms used in the problems and explanations. Math Review for Standardized Tests covers these areas of math:

• Arithmetic, including rounding off, positives and negatives, fractions, decimals, percentages, scientific notation, exponents, square roots, statistics, measures
• Algebra, including sets, variables, expressions, ratios, factoring, proportions, monomials, polynomials, quadratic equations, inequalities, roots and radicals.
• Geometry, including angles, lines, polygons, triangles, Pythagorean Theorem, quadrilaterals, circles, congruence and similarity, and solid figures
• Word problems, including simple and compound interest, ratio and proportion, motion, percentages, ages, geometry, mixtures

With guidance from the CliffsTestPrep series, you'll feel at home in any standardized-test environment!

*SAT and PSAT are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this product.

Do What You Are : Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type--Revised and Updated Edition Featuring E-careers for the 21st Century

Paul D. Tieger, Barbara Barron-Tieger

List Price: $18.95 By: Little, Brown and Company Amazon Marketplace: 94 new & used starting at $0.91

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Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Job Hunting & Careers -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 128 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The place to start your career. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I recruit, train, and develop independent contractors and employees. To develop a person costs me personal time and money.

When I started it was luck, not science. Now, job matching is much easier because I understand this information.

Now, we have a real discussion in interviews and not a turn my weakness into strengths - hide and seek.

When an applicant already knows it we are near Win/Win or No Fit.

If the applicant has no idea, it is a perfect screening line of question.

With this information both the employer and employee are involved in discovering the best fit. If a Fit both understand how to capitalize on strengths and minimize weaknesses. If No Fit no one is disappointed by the usefulness of the information.

If you do not know your type - good luck in finding happiness in work. You can waste you life thinking this time will be better or you can find the right fit.

Editorial Review:

This guide analyzes personality type by looking at how an individual processes information, makes decisions and interacts with the world around them, and shows which of the 16 "types" describes that person best. It then lists dozens of occupations that are popular with people of each type and, using workbook exercises and real-life examples to highlight the strengths and pitfalls of each personality type, gives step-by-step instructions on how to use your unique strengths to customize your job search, ensuring the best results in the shortest period of time. If you plan to stay in your job, "Do What You Are" provides savvy advice for getting the most out of your current career. Rather than offering generic, one-size-fits-all advice, this book aims to help you determine what you need to be more successful and satisfied.